This Has to Be My Worst Interview Ever

“Okay, 30 minutes is up. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.” I told my interviewer.

It wasn’t a typo. I was the interviewee, and it was my interviewer on the other end of the Teams call.

I was frustrated because I had just had the worst interview ever, and I couldn’t wait for this to be over.

Many employers forget that when interviewing a potential candidate, the candidate is also interviewing them.

Finding the right person for the team is a two-way street.

What happened?

A day before, the recruiter called about an application I had submitted a few days earlier.

“We are interested in your experience, but your salary expectation is way above our budget for this role. Will you consider taking a pay cut?” The recruiter asked.

Hell no, I thought.

But…

It’s a tough market now. I’ve been getting rejection after rejection. Some friends struggled to find a job for over 6 months. Considering this is only a short-term position, maybe I shouldn’t shut it down so quickly.

I took a deep breath and asked the recruiter: “Can you tell me more about the role?”

As the recruiter explained, I tried to justify the pay cut by considering the new skills I could acquire through this role. I decided not to focus on the salary but lean into the possibility of adding new experiences to my resume.

I told the recruiter I would consider the salary on offer. She responded with good news: “That’s great. We’d like to schedule an interview with you.”

She asked if I could attend an interview a few hours later because it was her second last day at work before the holiday season. Unfortunately, I already had meetings booked and couldn’t make it. I counter-proposed an interview the next day.

“How early can you meet?” The recruiter asked.

“Anytime after 7 am,” I responded.

She said 9 am would work and would send me an invitation with the Teams link later.

A few hours later, the invitation arrived. But — Instead of a 9 am invitation, it was for 2:30 pm. I wondered if it was a mistake. I immediately sent an email back to reconfirm the schedule.

“I provided two timeslots, 9 am or 2:30 pm, to the interviewer, and he picked 2:30 pm. So I sent you an invite for 2:30 pm,” she replied. I was puzzled. I thought she would be the interviewer, and that was why she was pushing for an early interview.

Maybe I had misinterpreted our conversation, so I let it go and asked if there was anything I should prepare for. The recruiter said it was unnecessary as the interviewer is quite relaxed and would be a conversation rather than a proper interview.

I thanked her for organising the interview.

Negative company profile

I prepared for the interview anyway.

Even though it was supposed to be conversational, I wanted to be prepared and answer confidently.

I looked up the company and the interviewer’s LinkedIn profile.

The interviewer’s profile looked impressive. He had worked at several large, reputable organisations.

But when I researched the company culture, I had to hold my breath.

The career website has over 150 reviews, and the feedback was far from ideal.

Normally, I don’t judge a company by online comments, as they are often written by disgruntled employees. However, many organisations have only a handful of reviews, so I became cautious when there were so many.

There were also comments about the HR department, where I would be working. If an ex-HR employee said something negative about their department, they got my attention.

But interview time was approaching, and I told myself to do my best anyway. It’s not like I would get an offer immediately; I also wanted to see it myself.

The interview day

I logged in a few minutes early and waited.

2:33. Nothing.

I wondered if I was on the wrong link.

2:35. Still nothing, but it said the host would let me in soon, so I assumed I was in the right place.

2:37. The interviewer finally logged in. He apologised for being late. Then came his first yawn.

He looked tired and wasn’t prepared for the interview. I didn’t even know if he had read my resume.

“I’m not good at interviewing. I don’t know how to ask questions. So just tell me a bit about you.” I was shocked to hear that from a senior director at the company.

“I know we’ve booked in for 30 minutes but if this conversation only lasts 10 minutes, so be it. You don’t need to keep going.” He added.

What the heck?

Before we even started, he yawned, showed disinterest, and essentially prepared me for an early exit.

The rest of the interview was uninspiring. I wasn’t asked about my experience or how I tackled challenges at work. When I talked about the skills I learned from having my own business, he yawned again.

“You closed your business and returned to a job? Sounds like a step-down.” He said without emotions.

I didn’t see that coming, but I felt the comment was totally unnecessary. You can’t compare apples to oranges.

“I don’t know anything about starting a business. I’ve never started one.” Another unnecessary comment, another yawn.

At that point, I was already annoyed. Was I that boring? I glanced at the clock; it wasn’t even 10 minutes into the conversation.

“Starting a business isn’t for everyone. If you have a thriving career and find satisfaction, there’s no need to start a business, and that’s okay.” I said, trying to play to his ego.

With no further questions from him, I took the initiative to ask him a few more questions about the role, his management style and his vision for the team.

My questions seemed to surprise him. For the first time, he replaced the yawning with a smile.

The next 20 minutes were spent with him answering my questions. He stopped right at the 30-minute mark.

That’s when I thanked him for his time. I can’t recall who left the call first; it happened so quickly, as if one of us already had our finger on the “leave” button, ready to exit.

Bottom line

The purpose of having an interview is to learn more about the candidate’s experience, especially the details they can’t elaborate on in their resume.

If you feel tired after lunch, schedule interviews in the morning.

Or make sure you don’t have a big lunch that leaves you in a food coma. It’s just rude to yawn in front of a potential candidate before the conversation even starts.

If you prefer a free-flowing interview style, learn active listening skills. Ask follow-up questions. That’s how you get to know someone.

I couldn’t help but recall the negative comments from the ex-HR employee.

I wish I hadn’t ignored all the red flags before meeting this Senior Director. I could have spent my time more wisely or, at the very least, submitted another application to a company that truly values the candidate experience.